We have two sovereigns, and their existence and effect on U.S. law and politics arise from and in the dual sovereigns theory. The U.S. Constitution mentions limited rights, powers, duties and obligations of the U.S. federal government. Residual rights, however, are reserved to the States, by Amendment X to the U.S. Constitution.
Thus, in American federalism, the people delegate their sovereignty both to the federal government, and to the government of the State of which they are citizens (State citizenship is distinct and specified in Amendment XIV to the United States Constitution). The assertion of State sovereignty has been associated with the States' Rights Movement, which advocates for greater status of the States, as compared with the federal government.
The State governments' responsibility to the people of any one particular U.S. State are largely defined in that State's Constitution, as well as in the U.S. Constitution, federal law of the United States Code, the rules promulgated thereunder in the Code of Federal Regulations, in State statute and the rules promulgated thereunder, and in State and Federal court judicial decision law.
